Menu
Nights to remember: rockin' at Rendezvous
The third in an occasional series: 'Growing up in Orange County'
CORKY CARROLL CORKY CARROLL
Register columnist
SURF'S UP
This is the third week of an occasional series in my column. These are
stories of growing up here in Orange County sent in from you readers.
If ya have a cool story, send it to me.
Tom Fitzgerald
"I thought your readers might be interested in the era of the Surfer
Stomp at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa. In 1961-62 we would all go
pay our $1 entrance fee and listen all night to Dick Dale.
"When he left, in about 1963, the Newport Nomads, and Dave Myers and
the Surftones took over. I played drums for the Nomads. We were all
from Newport Harbor High School. Jim Cunningham on lead guitar, Steve
McAnlis on rhythm guitar, Kent Anderson on bass, Bill Joyner on piano,
Jerry Kavulic on sax, and me on drums.
"Yes, this is when the bands had five or six musicians.
"My slant is from the stage side looking out at anywhere from 2,000 to
4,000 kids all dancing the Surfer Stomp. The stage at the Rendezvous
was built to accommodate the big bands from the 1930s. The drum riser
must have been about 8 feet high off the dance floor. There was a
light booth in the balcony directly across from the stage. It was all
quite impressive.
"The doors would open at 8 p.m. sharp. From my perspective up on the
drums it was amazing to see a few thousand kids come through that one
door and how quickly the dance floor was packed. It was a sea of human
bodies going up and down in unison to the surfer stomp.
"The music was high energy. Fender strats and reverbs generated the
heavy chunky sound.
"The Rendezvous burned down many years ago and was replaced by condos.
And yet, whenever I drive by that intersection, I can still see in my
mind the Rendezvous ballroom sitting there as it was in the '60s."
Karen Clay Kneavel
"My name back then was Karen Clay. I moved to Laguna in 1955, so I
have plenty of memories, but I'll just share a few of my favorites...
"I remember the old rubber/canvas raft riding at St. Ann's reef. That
and the old Styrofoam boards that used to rub me raw on my tummy.
"I remember Billy Hamilton in my jewelry-making class at LBHS (my
nickname for him was Weirdo). My friend and I put on our maroon and
white gym shorts and shirts and went to Oak St. after school because
Billy was going to teach us how to surf. He even let me use his board.
I was a bodysurfer, but all I can remember was Billy yelling at me,
"turn, turn,'' as the nose took a dive downward and off I'd go. That
was my first and last time trying to board surf!
"I used to make out in the new housing developments at Top of the World.
"LBHS had a bodysurfing contest in February at Oak Street. I came in
second. We won paper purple hearts because the water was freeeeezing!
"Last, but not least, I lived for the Rendezvous on Friday nights...
"Sad to say, the long, gone orange groves and farms no longer grace
our county....What open space there is, when hiking at El Morro, I
only hear the sound of earthmovers in the background.
"Hope you enjoyed some of my memories and this email went thru...KEEP
WRITING!"
